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Foundations of Literacy unit (EDU112)

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Unit year 2025

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Location: Online

Introduction

Literacy centres on effectively communicating in ways that are appropriate to the discipline, audience and purpose. In a world which is increasingly multimodal and digital, literacy also involves communicating with others using ICTs, multimedia, video and other forms appropriate to particular discipline areas. In this unit, you will learn about theories of language and literacy in terms of their implications for teaching and learning, and the literacy demands of various curriculum areas. You will also demonstrate your knowledge of literacy as a cross-curriculum priority in the Australian Curriculum and how this relates to your teaching context.

Summary

Unit name Foundations of Literacy
Unit code EDU112
Credit points 12.5
College/School Arts and Society
Faculty of Education
Discipline Education
Coordinator Ms Emma Rutherford Vale
Available as an elective? Yes
Delivered By University of Tasmania
Level Introductory

Availability

Location Study period Attendance options Available to
Online Semester 1 This unit is available through off-campus delivery Available to International Students Available to Domestic Students
  • Key:
  • This unit is available through on-campus delivery On-campus
  • This unit is available through off-campus delivery Off-Campus
  • Available to International Students International students
  • Available to Domestic Students Domestic students
Note

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Units are offered in attending mode unless otherwise indicated (that is attendance is required at the campus identified). A unit identified as offered by distance, that is there is no requirement for attendance, is identified with a nominal enrolment campus. A unit offered to both attending students and by distance from the same campus is identified as having both modes of study.

Key Dates

Study Period Start date Census date WW date End date
Semester 1 23/2/2025 24/3/2025 13/4/2025 31/5/2025

* The Final WW Date is the final date from which you can withdraw from the unit without academic penalty, however you will still incur a financial liability (refer to How do I withdraw from a unit? for more information).

Unit census dates currently displaying for 2025 are indicative and subject to change. Finalised census dates for 2025 will be available from the 1st October 2024. Note census date cutoff is 11.59pm AEST (AEDT during October to March).

About Census Dates

Learning Outcomes

  • Apply knowledge of current theories about literacy to your field of study
  • Select and design resources for specific educational contexts
  • Design literacy strategies to support students’ engagement

Fee Information

Field of Education Commencing Student Contribution 1,3 Grandfathered Student Contribution 1,3 Approved Pathway Course Student Contribution 2,3 Domestic Full Fee 4
070105 $578.00 $578.00 not applicable $2,440.00
  • Available as a Commonwealth Supported Place
  • HECS-HELP is available on this unit, depending on your eligibility3
  • FEE-HELP is available on this unit, depending on your eligibility4

1 Please refer to more information on student contribution amounts.
2 Please refer to more information on eligibility and Approved Pathway courses.
3 Please refer to more information on eligibility for HECS-HELP.
4 Please refer to more information on eligibility for FEE-HELP.

If you have any questions in relation to the fees, please contact UniConnect or more information is available on StudyAssist.

Please note: international students should refer to What is an indicative Fee? to get an indicative course cost.

Teaching

Teaching Pattern

This unit is taught fully online. This means that there is not a face-to-face lecture or tutorial scheduled on campus. However, there are a range of ways planned for you to participate in this subject. 

You will engage with the content through weekly recorded lectures, online readings and tasks including quizzes in the MyLO space as well as through the completion of assignments.

Your tutorial experience is a one-hour synchronous Zoom tutorial each week in which we will discuss the content and complete applied tasks etc.  Please see the MyLO home page for details of scheduled zoom sessions.

You are expected to dedicate ten hours per week to this unit. This may be divided as follows: weekly lecture (1 hour); weekly reading/s (2 hours); weekly tutorial (1 hour); weekly discussion board and any online activities (1 hour); preparation for assessment, including sourcing readings and working with peers as appropriate (5 hours)

  • total time includes time spent reading and viewing resources provided to you on MyLO, time spent participating in the weekly tutorial task and any discussion topics or online activities such as quizzes and time spent preparing for assessment taskssources necessary for the completion of assessment tasks.

It cannot be emphasised enough that your progress and success in this unit depends on you actively engaging with weekly lectures and synchronous tutorials and allocating time to connect with your peers. 

AssessmentLiteracy Competency Test|MyLO Quiz (10%)|Peer presentation on literacy (45%)|Planning for Literacy Outcomes (45%)
TimetableView the lecture timetable | View the full unit timetable

Textbooks

Required

There is no set text for this course. A list of weekly required readings will be available through the library. A link to course readings is provided on the MyLO home page for this subject. 
Recommended

Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority. (n.d.). The Australian curriculum. Retrieved from http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au
Callow, J. (2013). The shape of text to come. PETAA.
Campbell, R., & Green, D. (2006). Literacies and learners: Current perspectives (3rd ed.). Pearson.
Derewianka, B., & Jones, P. (2016). Teaching language in context (2nd ed.). Oxford University Press.
Emmitt, M., Zbaracki, M., Komesaroff, L., & Pollock, J. (2015). Language and learning: An introduction for teaching (6th ed.). Oxford.
Gibbons, P. (2009). English learners, academic literacy and thinking. Heinemann.
Martin, J. R., & Rose, D. (2008). Genre relations: Mapping culture. London: Equinox Publishing Ltd.
Tompkins, G., Campbell, R., & Green, D., & Smith, C. (2015). Literacy for the 21st century: A balanced approach. Pearson.
University of Tasmania (2015). APA. In Referencing and assignment writing. Retrieved from http://utas.libguides.com/content.php?pid=27520&sid=199805
Winch, G., Johnston, R., March, P., Ljungdahl, L., & Holliday, M. (2019). Literacy: Reading, writing and children’s literature (5th ed.). Oxford University Press. Wing Jan, L. (2015). Write ways. 4th Edition. Oxford. Please note that in addition to weekly required readings and recommended readings, a range of links to quality sources of online literacy strategies, readings and professional blogs are provided in the MyLO content section.

 

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